Make no mistake about it, the Indiana Pacers has a roster full of talent, however, the way that they have been playing is certainly does not seem like it. 54-25, the Indiana Pacers who seemed to have the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference locked up at the beginning of the season are a stunning and disappointing 3-7 in their last ten games. Despite having the #2 defense in the league behind the Chicago Bulls (90.2) with points allowed (92.3) , the Indiana Pacers just cannot seem to get in a groove here. They were pounded on by the #8 seed Atlanta Hawks in Indiana 107-88. Now, what if that were a playoff game? In that game, I believe everybody saw the lack of ambition and drive in the subpar Eastern Conference’s #1 seed. There seems to be no confidence in this team nor a desire to win. Like everybody else in the NBA world, the Pacers performance in the last ten games make you question if they are ready or not to compete in the NBA Playoffs.
Paul George has not been performing the way that he normally is and it is definitely wearing on the Indiana Pacers fans. An example of this would have to be a Pacers fan searching for Paul George’s “Missing Talent.” It goes on to read, “The talent for short-lived NBA superstar Paul George has gone missing. We’re desperate to reunite the body back with the talent before the NBA playoffs start in a few weeks. We’ve checked everywhere. Strip clubs. Sex shops. Moron Mountain. Tune land. No luck so far…” According to espn.com, the Palmdale, California native has averaged 21.7 ppg, 3.5 apg, and 6.7 rebounds.His performance has been gradually declining since the beginning of the year. As each month passes, he scores less than his average and now, he is down to 18 ppg which needless to say isn’t his usual. In the month of March he has averaged only 18 ppg, .372 from the field, and .297 from 3 point range. His numbers now are not identical to his performance in January according to BleacherReport,com. His numbers have been plummeting since December, and now, he is in desperate need to make a statement tonight against the Miami Heat in Indiana. To make sense of the slumping situation, George told USA Today’s Zak Keefer, “Teams were figuring out how to slow me down. I’m just trying to learn you can’t beat a whole team, and that’s what I was going through.” Is George blaming his teammates for his plummeting numbers? Maybe he is, considering the fact that the Pacers have no kind of offense. Okay, granted. However…how do you explain his poor defensive play as of lately?
Bleacher Report.com gave out a poll with this question: Why is George struggling much? 63.7% of the fans believe that he is struggling with off court distractions, fatigue, and teams guarding him better. I guess that just about sums it up. I personally can agree to all three, especially the fatigue part. Averaging 36.2 minutes per night can wear anybody down…and age does not play a factor in this. Paul George is not the sole reason for the Pacers problems.
Let us not lose sight of what this article is really about, the Indiana Pacers.
The Eastern Conference crown seems up for grabs at this moment. The Pacers along with the Miami Heat have been struggling and under-performing. On the same night that the Miami Heat traveled to Memphis to play and lose against the Grizzlies, Pacers coach Frank Vogel decided to rest all five of his starters against the Milwaukee Bucks. That was a terrible idea. Whether it was against the low Bucks or not, I do not understand why a coach would rest his starters when they are performing below average. Needless to say, the bench won the game by 2 points. The team as a whole is not doing well as most people know. They are struggling offensively and defensively and lack the drive or desire to win. You can even see their dispositions on the sideline. Its just not looking good for this basketball club.
With the NBA playoffs coming up. it is not known whether the Indiana Pacers will keep the #1 seed or lose it to the Miami Heat and becoming the #2 seed. Both teams are in jeopardy of being ousted in the first round. It is my opinion that neither team will be ready to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals. I for one will not be surprised because there is not motivation. It is also no secret that LeBron James is frustrated with Dwayne Wade missing games including this one amongst other things. It is no secret that the Pacers are frustrated with their failing offense.
Tonight, the Indiana Pacers travel to Miami at American Airlines Arena at 7:30 pm to battle it out for the #1 seed and a chance to have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The only time these two teams will meet again is if they both make it to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals which in my opinion, will not happen.
Cleveland Sports Talk-National Writer & Site Manager,
Briyant Hines
@CST_SportSnitch
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